Grand Theft Auto V
by burjithemraj
Summary: Seen through the lens of Rockstar a href ""Games/a sardonic wit, Southern California is a kaleidoscope of American culture. Populated with self-important hedonists and self-improvement gurus, the luxuriously wealthy and startlingly poor, vanity plate liberals and border-patrolling conservatives.


How To Play Video Games

Before a href=" . /"attempting/a the big-time heists, you are given the choice of two approaches. The first typically involves an _Oceans 11_ degree of cunning, stealth, and deception, while the alternative frequently involves a dosage of lead normally reserved for world wars. Before you act, you also must pick your crew; hiring a cheap, young hacker may cost you valuable time to acquire the jewelry, but if you pick the experienced guy he demands a bigger cut.

Once the heists begin, the signature innovation driving Grand Theft Auto V takes center stage. During these missions you can instantly switch between each of the three characters. Rockstar often uses this mechanic to avoid the hassle of relocating to meet another wave of enemies, imploring you to switch via a blinking icon and noticeable sound effect to keep you in the thick of the action. The transitions occur smoothly, and the speed at which you swap characters is impressive.

The diversity of the heists and other missions is also worthy of praise. During my time in Los Santos, I scuba dived into a scientific research center to steal a chemical weapon, infiltrated a burning government agency building posing as a firefighter to steal a hard drive, and fought though a five-star wanted level with military grade weapons **.** Should you falter during these high-octane scenarios, the forgiving checkpoint system (a much needed improvement over Grand Theft Auto IV) preserves your forward progress rather than forcing you to start missions from scratch.

The trio has distinct lives outside of these jobs, which includes separate friends, properties, bank accounts, and problems. Taking this approach allowed Rockstar to craft unique content for each, which keeps the side missions fresh. You can alternate between the perspectives of Michael, Franklin, or Trevor at will, and Rockstar uses this as an opportunity to surface unique gameplay opportunities. Jump to Trevor and you may find him passed out drunk on a hill nearby a hunting mission. Switch back to Michael later and he may be playing tennis with his wife or heading to an appointment with his psychiatrist.

Giving the player so much insight into the inner workings of the three protagonists provides great mission diversity, but it also creates the biggest crack in the story. Given what we have witnessed from one particular main character, his reaction to one of the major plot reveals seems extremely out of line with his personality. This happens early on and hangs like an albatross around the neck of the narrative for the majority of the game. The choose your own adventure ending (you have three options) also fails to deliver on the tension promised by this setup.

While the plot doesn't live up to the high standards set by Red Dead Redemption and GTA IV, the design surpasses every previous Rockstar game. Grand Theft Auto V melds together the expansive open world of its Western, the vehicle control and customization of Midnight Club: Los Angeles, the shooting mechanics of Max Payne 3, and Rockstar's signature sense of humor to create its most well rounded game to date.

Those who complained about boat-like vehicle controls in previous games should be placated with the refinements Grand Theft Auto V delivers. Cars have a proper sense of weight, while retaining the agility necessary for navigating through traffic at high speeds. The damage models are also drastically improved, with more variance to the scrapes and dents you collect careening down the highways like a madman.

The targeting and cover systems also should win over holdouts who decried the gunplay of GTA IV. Rockstar offers three different aiming mechanics - the classic GTA snap-to shooting, aim assist, and free aim for those who prefer more autonomy. If you struggle with lining up shots with the default micro reticle, you can choose a larger one in the settings. I found the shooting to be competent in medium-to-long range shootouts; the only time I got into trouble was when being flanked up close. Aiming with the left trigger slows down your reticle movement, which can make it tough to address enemies pinching [url= . /]games[/url] the sides.


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